You can vote for your hero across Shrewsbury and Telford hospitals as finalists are named
The Trust that runs Shropshire’s acute hospitals is getting set for its annual celebratory awards.
For the second year running, Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), which runs Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) and Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) in Telford, has teamed up with the Shropshire Star for one of the award categories.
The Shropshire Star Public Recognition Award recognises teams or individuals who have provided outstanding care and an exceptional level of service above and beyond the call of duty.
Members of the public were asked to nominate their hospital heroes for the award and three finalists have been shortlisted.
It is now over to the people of Shropshire to choose the winner.
People have until Wednesday, November 2, to cast their vote online at trustawards.co.uk/shropshirestar/.
Louise Barnett, Chief Executive at SaTH, said: “We are delighted to be hosting our virtual Trust Celebratory Awards on November 17 to celebrate the valued contributions of colleagues and teams to support our patients, our local community and each other.
“The Shropshire Star Public Recognition Award is a really special award because the winner is nominated, and voted for, by members of the public.
“Our patients are the reason we do what we do, so I’m grateful to everyone who took the time to nominate their hospital hero and share their positive experience.
“The three finalists are truly outstanding in their roles, providing excellent care for our communities, and I congratulate them on their achievements.”
The three finalists
Lorna McQuaid, Bank Healthcare Assistant at the Princess Royal Hospital
Lorna joined SaTH as a Bank Healthcare Assistant (HCA) in 2010 and has worked across a range of hospital services, including the Emergency Department, Acute Medical Unit (AMU) and Delivery Suite.
Her nomination describes her as an “outstanding” member of staff who treats patients with “care and compassion”.
She lives in Donnington with her husband and two children.
She said: “As a Bank HCA I work as and when I am able to, meaning I can fit work around my busy family life, which is really important to me.
“I enjoy the variety of my role. I have worked on many wards over the years seeing lots of different things, from life-threatening emergencies to babies being born.
“I love chatting with patients and particularly enjoy caring for elderly people. As a HCA you really get to know your patients and their families and we go on a journey with them.
“A patient can be very ill when you first meet them so it’s a rewarding feeling waving them off when they are able to be discharged, knowing you’ve played a part in their recovery.
“I’m fortunate to work with such supportive people. Everyone works together as a team and I know there is always someone I can call on if I need to.
“When I heard the news that I was a finalist for the Shropshire Star Public Recognition Award I was lost for words for once!
“It’s a lovely feeling knowing that you are being recognised for something that you’ve done. It’s very heart-warming.”
Guy Calcott, Consultant, and the Early Pregnancy Team
The Early Pregnancy Team provides care to families suffering from complications of early pregnancy, such as miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy.
It is made up of one consultant, seven nurses, one support worker, three support assistants, as well as 21 midwife sonographers.
Most of the care is delivered at the Princess Royal Hospital (seven days a week) with satellite clinics at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital on weekday mornings.
Guy Calcott, the Consultant within the team, said: “I began working in the Early Pregnancy Team in 2019, which brought with it a lot of changes to the way the team worked.
“Throughout this time the whole team has been fully receptive to new ways of working, embracing change and helping to continually drive improvements to provide the best possible care.”
The nomination describes the team as being “supportive, friendly and invested in the patient’s experience”.
It also highlighted the team’s efficiency, with prompt follow ups and communication throughout.
The nominator singled out Guy Calcott as an “exceptional doctor” whose “advice, guidance, and patient plans have been consistently re-assuring, accurate and well thought out”.
Guy added: “I am really grateful to be nominated for the Shropshire Star Public Recognition Award and so proud of the team for the impact they had on this person.
“The team work extremely hard, in often difficult and emotional circumstances, and I am really pleased that we have made a difference to someone in our community.”
Maria Brownfield, Midwife at The Royal Shrewsbury Hospital
Maria had always been fascinated by pregnancy and birth and wanted to make a difference in women's lives, so after completing a business degree she decided to follow her passion and began a career in midwifery.
Maria trained at Queen's Hospital in Burton and joined SaTH three years ago after moving to Shropshire. She lives in Nesscliffe with her husband and new-born baby boy.
She said: “For the past two years I have been working in my dream job as a continuity midwife in Shrewsbury. This means I am able to care for women and their families from the beginning of the pregnancy, right through to birth and postnatally.
“I enjoy getting to know women and building trusting relationships with them. It's a real privilege entering people's lives at such a special, transformative time.
“I've recently started my own maternity leave and have experienced the service from the other side.
“I'm so grateful to the wonderful Shrewsbury midwives who supported me during my pregnancy, at my homebirth and in these early days of being a new mum.”
Maria’s nomination describes her as a “professional and approachable” individual delivering “outstanding” care.
It details how Maria had made special arrangements to be at the birth with her patient (a planned c-section) which made them feel “really safe knowing she was there to help”.
“Being nominated for this award is a lovely reminder of why I chose my career.
"This is a trying time in midwifery, so this kind of recognition offers some much-needed positive reinforcement.”
